THE I.R.A. PROBLEM(S) I don’t know everything that I should … which causes me to suspect there are others who also don’t know. I could be wrong. But I can’t imagine how, then, it hurts to remind them. Here goes… An IRA, Keogh, 401k, or SIMPLE (or other similar) retirement plan is a very good idea which can turn …
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Category:Financial
GUEST POST from Don – Freshman College Skills
FRESHMAN COLLEGE SKILLS On their own for the first time since 6th grade camp? They will need to know a lot more than where to buy beer. 1. MONEY.Stupidity with money is rampant among college freshmen. They see $5,000 in their bank account and are used to mom and dad giving them $40 here and there for …
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GUEST POST from Don: Credit Cards
CREDIT CARDS If you are “normal” you haveToo many credit cards.Too much available credit.Too high an unpaid balance.You rely on them for almost every purchase, without a thought. The number of credit cards in your name is probably between 3 and 5.The amount of your debt balance is somewhere between $3,000 to 9,500. Everyone “KNOWS” …
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GUEST POST from Don: Cash Value
CASH VALUE I do not like being continually deadly serious; I prefer some levitation (its a joke). I previously mentioned the following important information in another context. Here I will expand on it. I think it is a great idea to have a life insurance policy. Yet some insurance products come with avoidable risks. Certain Federal and State …
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GUEST POST from Don – Floating
FLOATING thru RETIREMENT May 9, 2024 article by Lorie Konish was at CNBC and had some interesting facts. She reported, for example that …4% of retirees say they are “living the nightmare financially.”15% say they are “struggling.”and another 34% are “not great, but not bad.” To summarize, 43% of retirees are under water, treading water, or …
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GUEST POST from Don – Easy Pest Control
EASY PEST CONTROL MOSQUITO BUCKET This is as simple as it gets. Cost is under $20. Momma mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water. So give them a nice place to do that. You need a 5 gal bucket. An old 5 gal paint bucket will do if you clean out the paint residue. Drill a few small holes in the …
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GUEST POST from Don: Co-Buying (“Moving In”, Part 4)
CO-BUYING Even if everyone else is jumping off of bridges, you shouldn’t. 26.7% of homes are being co-bought in 2023/2024. Even more vehicles. Risky! Co-buying is signing a loan document with someone who is not your spouse. It is a BUSINESS arrangement. Being neither a lawyer nor licensed financial advisor, I have to believe those lawyers and financial …
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WE BOUGHT A BUS! April 15, 2024
Yeah, we bought a bus. We’ve been looking at short busses and shuttles for a long time. A year probably. And the Lord provided just the right one, so today we bought it. Gave the lovely young couple the cash, they signed over the title, and we headed home! About a hundred-mile trip, depending on …
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GUEST POST from Don: Co-Habitation (mostly from a financial viewpoint)
CO-HABITATION: SO, YOU ARE GOING TO MOVE IN?Part One [Credits: Quotes and “advice from experts” herein, except for two, are “ripped” right out of an article by Ana Teresa Sola and Annie Nova published 9/16/2023 in CNBC Personal Finance: “3 Financial Tips For Couples Moving In Together For The First Time.” Otherwise, unfortunately, the ideas are the author’s.] …
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BUDGET FOOD HAUL! February 17, 2024
Pete and I went to 2 of the places where we used to shop when we lived in Houghton Lake: Pineview (McBain, MI) and Ebel’s (Falmouth, MI). We haven’t been there to either one in a very long time. This is our haul.